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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · current · rush · plane · band · ground · field · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rush — hurry
  4. current — electric
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. band — a ring
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com